Internal-combustion engine.



L. B. WOODSEND. INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 10, 1911v v Patented Jan. 28, 1913 2 SHEETS SHEDT 1.

' i I I l 1 l I I! I IN VENTOR A 6 (Ma; 15'. Woai azwaf' v ITMRNEYS L. E. WOODSEND. INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE. APPLICATION FILED MAY10,1911.

1,051,794, V I Patented Jan.28,1913

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 LESLIE EDWARD \VOODSEND, 01 DENVER, COLORADO.

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 28, 1913.

Application filed May 10, 1911. Serial No. 628,214.

To all whom'it-may concern:

Be it known that I, Lnsur. F. \Voonseno, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Denver, in the county of Denver and State of Colorado, have invented a new and Improved lnternal-Combustion Engine, of which the' following is a full, clear, and exact descrip ion.

This invention relates his new and improved internal combustion engine of a type adapted to use distillate and crude oil in obtaining power; and more particularly relates to a new and improved tiring hear An object of this invcutioiris to provide an internal. combustion engine with an improved firing head, which will vaporize and igi'iite crude oil or distillate, in a simple and ellicient manner, without danger of clogging. V

In attaining the object named, this invention consists of a tiring head containing a vaporizing and igniting plug ol. :1. unique shape and this plug is so arranged that it can not become overheated, thtnrcliy eliminating the dangers of l.ntclt-ii1ing and of prenuiture explosions. llurthermore, pro" visionis made for feeding the oil to thempori'ner at a point remote from the combustion cylii'ulcr so that any erness of oil which might run oil from the vaporizer shall not reach the combustion cylinder without first becoming thoroughly 'aporized by contacting further, a heated surface.

in order to secure a thorough mixing of the oil vapo' and the air in the combustion cylinder, the vapor is caused to rush into the same with a. strong angular movement which imparts a rapid, spirally swirling motion to the contents of the cylindc' and e'tl'ccts a. uniform dill'usion of the vapor bel'ore each explosion.

These amt-further objects, together with the construction and combination of parts, will be more fully described hereinafter and particularly set forth in the claims.

Reftu'cuce is to' be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate correspmiding pa rts in all the views, and in wl'iich--- l igurt: 1 is a vertical longitudinal sec-- tion; Fig. an enlarged vertical section taken through the firing head; and Fig. 23 an internal filttf view of the firing head, showing it removed from the cylinder.

Referring more particularly to the separate parts of this invention as embodied in the form shown in the drawings, 1 indicates an engine bed, which may be of any suitable structure, and in this instance is shown as having mounted thereon a cylinder 2. The

cylinder 2 is provided with a crank casing 3, which is preferably entirely inclosed so as to he air-tight. Slidingly mounted in the cylinder 2. there is provided a piston at, which may be of any suitable character, and is operatively connected to a crank 5 rotatably mounted in the crank case 3, by means of a pitmantl. An air inlet may be providcd for the crank easel-3, of any suitable type. such as the clieclevalve controlled inlet indicated at 7. The air in the crank case 3 may he forced into the cylinder E2 by the action ot the piston through passages 8 leading into the cylinder at inlet ports 9 and of which there may be any suitable number. A. peculiar thing to be noted about these passages 8 is that they are spiral, so as to give a swirling action to the air as it comes in, aiding in scavenging the burned gases from the cylinder, the section of Fig. 1 being taken along one of these passages and another passage being shown in dotted lines so that their shape will be apparei'it. The outlet or exhaust for the cylinder may be of any suitable clnirzmt'er, and is indicated at 10.

An important part of this invention consists in the firing head 11, which is of a peculiar structure, and is provided-with a combustion chamber 12, in which is located an igniting plug 13. The plug 13 is of truncated conical form, as is clearly indicated in the drawings, and is fluted in a spiral manner, so as to form spiral passages 15 extending along the surface of the plu The purpose of having these passages spiral is to give a swirling action to the vaporized ghses, thus thoroughly mixing them with the air in the cylinder when they enter the same. The plug 13 may be 00 also provided with a central passage 16, extending from front to rear thereof and communicating with the interior of the cylinder 2 at one end and with the interior of the firing chamber 12 at the other end. The

firing plug 13 may be pointed on the interior end, so that ignition of gas may he accomplished when the piston moves forward slightly, relieving the pressure of gas in the firing head. The cliai'nb er 12 is formed by providing a. dome 17 in the firing head 11, and this dome is provided with a series. of ridges or flutes 118, whereby the structure can be made much thinner and still be quite strong, and whereby .the heat-absorbing properties of the dome are materially in fore the necessaiyheat has been generated by the explosions in the engine. The ribs on the outside of the dome Wlll cause the dome to become more quickly heated than would be the case if they were not there. The crude oil or distillate is let into the igniting chamber 12 through an inlet 21, which is supplied by means of a nipple 22. At the bottom of the dome 17, there is provided an outlet, which is normally closed by-a cleanout plug 23, which, however, is detachably connected to the domefl't', as by means of a screw-threaded connection, so that it can be readily removed for the purpose of cleaning out the asphaltum or other residue left and deposited by the igniting fuel. A suitable pump or other device may be attached for cleaning out asphaltum or other residue automatically. A similar plug, indicated at 24, may be provided for the cylinder 2, for the same purpose. Suitable oil cups 25 and 26 may be provided for oiling the cyl inder 4 and the moving-parts in the crank case 3. The primary purpose of causing this air to pass into the combustion cylinder 2, in'a state of rapid rotation, is to augment the cooling effect thereof upon the large end of the plug 13 between explosions, so as to prevent the overheating of the plug}, but an accompanying advantage is the thorough. scavenging of the cylinder 2 of the foul gases after each explosion, and these gases escape through the exhaust 10. A cleanout plug for the exhaust passage in indicated A particular point of advantage in this invention lies in the construction of the plug 13 which has a large area exposed alter nately to the heating action of the exploding gases, and to the cooling action of the inrushing air. The heat is rapidly conducted to the small end, or tip, of the plug 13, where the radiating surface in proportion to the cross-section is much greater than is the case at the large end, 'or base of plug 13. Therefore, the actual amountofheat transmitted into the surrounding space 12, and hence available for ignition, is greater at the tip than at the base. Furthermore, a very appreciable dilference in actual temperature between the tip and base of the plug 13 results, because of the closely confined space around the tip, and the large open space of the cylinder 2, subject to the periodical inrushes of cold air, to which the base is exposed.

By taking advantage of the facts just explained, it is ossible by careful computation to determine such relative proportions between the tip and the base of plug 13 as will give just the right results in vaporizing any certain fuel and in timing the explosions thereof to the proper moment. Ob+ viously, by the means explained, I obtain results much more positive, and under more definite control than has heretofore been possible in the designing of'oil engines.

In operating my engine the oil enters from the inlet 21 and strikes the upper sur-v face of the heated plug 13 near the middle point between the base and the tip thereof, Where vaporization of the fuel immediately begins and continues as the fuel runs down and around the plug toward the tip. The

extended period of contact between the plug 13 and the fuel insures the maximum vaporization. Any excess fuel that may drop from the plug 13 strikes the inner surface of the heated dome 17 where it is further subjected to vaporization or is burned to an ash, which can be removed at intervals through-cleanout 23.

In each cycle of the running of my improved engine, the vapor is rapidly generated, by the means already explained, and together withthe air which is forced in from the crank case, due to the compressive action of the piston, fills the space 12 under a moderate pressure. When the piston recedes,-the reduction in pressure causes the mixture of vapor and air in the space 12 to be ignited at the tip of plug 13 and the rush of fire following the courses of the channels 15, is projected into the combustion cylinder in a series of streams traveling with great velocity and with the swirling ,motion described above, acting'to instantly and c0mpletely explode every part of the main charge of vapor and air in the combustion cylinder.

While I have shown one embodiment of my invention, I'do not wish to be limited to the specific details thereof, but desire to be rotected in various changes, alterations an modifications which ma come withi the scope of. the a pended claims.

Having thus escribed my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent z:

1. The combination with a cylinder, of a firing head for said cylinder, said firing head having a dome, orming an ignition .charnber having a fuel inlet, said dome beingfluted on its outer surface, a casing inclosing said dome, forming a chamber therebetwecn, and a fir' g plug located in said, dome, and having a spirallyfluted periphlift ery forrnin cate that the lar er of the bases, faces the interior of the sai combustion cylinder, and that the smaller of the said bases is remote froni the said cylinder, means for feeding a fuel to the said plu at a point near the smaller base, and a p urality of spirally disposed channels suitably formed in the lateral surface of the said plug for the purpose gpecified.

8. n an explosive engine, the combination with a combustion cylinder having an operable piston therein, of an axially alined vaporizing and ignitingrplug of the shape of a right cone, truncated near its vertex to form a blunt tip, and having its base facing into said cylinder, the said plug having spirally dis osed channels in the lateral surface thereoi and a suitably disposed crank easingrhaving one or more spiral passages therein leading into the said cylinder, the said spiral passages being adapted to guide currents of air irlto the said cylinder with a swirling motion, thereby to cool the said vaporizing and igniting plug.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

Vmusrrn B. Woons, FRANK KNIGHT. 

